This past week, I shared a message with our PBC Family about what it means to be a follower of God. I loved Paul's words to the believers in Ephesus "Be imitators of God as beloved children." It provides a beautiful picture of what a true follower looks like. However, way too many see the work aspect of this type of following rather than the relational aspect. Let me see if I can explain.
Those of you who know me, know that my mother left the home when my brother and I were teenagers. That meant there were 3 men living together in the house. Due to our circumstances, there were a lot of things that needed to be taken care of that our mother used to handle: washing the dishes, washing the clothes, cleaning the home, etc. This wasn't the set-up because my father was lazy, it's just the way it was. He had his own to-do-list of things that he managed. We had an agreement. My brother and I would take turns washing the dishes, vacuuming, cleaning the bathrooms, dusting, and so on. Our dad would take care of the laundry, cooking, and grocery shopping. Between the 3 of us we would share in the outside chores. Why do you need to know this? It's quite simple really. My brother and I did what we did in the home because of our relationship with our father. In other words, because we were his sons, we labored with him to make sure these things were accomplished. Our father wasn't dogmatic. He allowed us to work at our own pace. He provided insight and at times would encourage us to go ahead and take care of some of the items. But we were never forced into a position of "do this or else". There wasn't a need. We were in a relationship with a loving father and it was in our heart to work with him.
That example (although very simplistic) isn't that different from our relationship with God. We have a loving Father. We are His children. Everything that we do for Him should flow from the relationship rather than the command. As my Father, He has every right to make demands. He has every right to give instructions. He has every right to ask something of me. But in my 21 years of living in my relationship with Him, I have never experienced Him being dogmatic. He has never said to me "Do this or else." He has always been loving toward me. In turn, what I do, flows out of my relationship with a loving Heavenly Father.
Now...let's go back to Paul's illustration of what it means to be an imitator of God. He says that we should do this as beloved children. Children often mimic their parents. The way they talk. The way they walk. Some of their actions. It's a part of the growing process. As we grow in the Lord it is quite natural for us to imitate the ways of God as we see it in the life of Christ. We try to walk as He walked, talk as He talked, etc. The difference is usually in the mindset. If we do not see ourselves as beloved children then we will do what we do out of fear or expectation. This is true of many people because they do not have a loving relationship with a parent to fall back on. Or their concept of love was twisted to think that they are only loved when they do certain things or behave a certain way. Quite honestly, most people have never experienced unconditional love and this wreaks havoc on our relationship with God. Read the words of the Apostle John:
"God is love, and all who live in love live in God, and God lives in them. And as we live in God, our love grows more perfect. So we will not be afraid on the day of judgement, but we can face Him with confidence because we are like Christ here in this world. Such love has no fear because perfect love expels all fear. If we are afraid, it is for fear of judgement, and this shows that His love has not been perfected in us." {1 John 4:16-18}
When God's love is perfected in our hearts then we do not have to live in fear. My dad is not a perfect man and yet I never question his love for me. My Heavenly Father is perfect in His love for me so why would I ever fear? Why would I ever seek to live a life controlled by serving God rather than living in relationship with God? You may say "But God expects..." I would ask you where you heard such a statement? And most of you would say "Well...our pastor said...or our church says..." This is where our understanding of a relationship with God must be founded upon His unconditional love and nothing else. "But didn't God give commands? Yes - but when you read the reasons behind them you will find that He wasn't just looking for obedient servants. He told Moses that the reason for the commands was that "it will go well for you" and to Joshua "that you may prosper." His commandments are a guide to a fulfilling life. They flow from who He is - unconditional love - so that we may experience all that this life has to offer.
I realize that this flies in the face of religion. I see it all the time. I've seen people who are never moved by a series of messages on the love of God get excited about a message on discipleship. Why? Because this is how we have been conditioned. We are conditioned to believe that we MUST perform, we MUST obey, and we MUST do. And what gets lost in all of this is that if we will allow ourselves to be perfected in the love of God that we never have to hear the "MUST" of religion. There's no need for it. When we learn to live out of His love for us, we will discover the reality of who we are in Christ and who He is in us. We will discover that we are partakers of the Divine Nature. Then our imitation of God doesn't flow from an idea of service but the very nature that dwells inside of us. There's no work to it at all. It will always flow from the relationship.
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